A number of power tools have been produced to facilitate forming a work-piece into a desired shape. One such power tool is a table saw. A wide range of table saws are available for a variety of uses. Some table saws such as cabinet table saws are very heavy and relatively immobile. Other table saws, sometimes referred to as jobsite table saws, are relatively light. Jobsite table saws are thus portable so that a worker can position the table saw at a job site. Some accuracy is typically sacrificed in making a table saw sufficiently light to be mobile. The convenience of locating a table saw at a job site, however, makes job site table saws very desirable in applications such as general construction projects.
All table saws, including cabinet table saws and job site table saws generate a significant amount of dust when used to shape a work-piece. Saw dust can present a number of deleterious effects, from respiratory difficulties to rapid ignition. In order to mitigate the amount of dust in a work area, a number of different dust collection systems have been developed. Most of these systems provide a suction near the location of dust generation and subsequently filter the dust particles or discharge the dust away from the job site.
Dust collection ports are commonly provided in the housing of table saws. In the event a dust collection system is used, the dust collection port can be used to apply a suction beneath the work-piece support surface of the table saw. If a dust collection system is not used, the air flow pattern generated by the table saw results in a discharge of saw dust from the table saw housing through the dust collection port.
Prior to discharge through the dust collection port, however, the table saw mechanisms within the table saw housing are exposed to an atmosphere laden with dust. As a result a number of moving parts, including gear systems associated with the power drive system as well as blade height and bevel systems, are exposed to the dust. The dust can thus collect on various surfaces, particularly those surfaces treated with a lubricant. As dust collects on moving parts, the function of the dust laden component may be compromised resulting in increased difficulty in using the component or even component failure.
In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to limit the exposure of moving components of a table saw to dust generated by the table saw. A further advantage would be realized by a system that could limit the exposure of moving components of a table saw equipped with a safety system to dust generated by the table saw.